Verizon Offers 4G Casio Smartphones - Analyst Blog

Verizon Wireless, unit of
Verizon Communications Inc.
(
VZ
) recently unveiled hardy 4G smartphones from CASIO. G'zOne
Commando promises durability, which is powered with the 4G
network technology. This smartphone has undergone military
testing that certifies its functionality even in harsh
conditions.

A similar move was noticed last week by
AT&T, Inc.
(
T
), which announced the launch of 4G LTE smartphone - NEC Terrain
- in collaboration with NEC Corp. The phone will be
available from Jun 21 in AT&T's stores for $199.99 on a
two-year contract.

Verizon is riding high on smartphone sales with the
introduction of devices that would boost data revenue going
forward. The company's smartphone penetration increased to 61%.
It activated 7.2 million smartphones during the first quarter, of
which 28% were new users. During the quarter, the company
introduced numerous devices to attract customers to 4G LTE that
covers over 28% of the total retail post-paid connections.

Furthermore, Verizon is moving quickly to acquire more
spectrum licenses that will support its data services. The
company received approval from the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) to buy wireless spectrum from SpectrumCo -- a
joint venture between
Comcast Corporation
(
CMCSA
),
Time Warner Cable Inc.
(
TWC
) and Bright House Networks -- for $3.9 billion in Aug 2012.

We believe the company's ability to capture additional market
share via robust deployment of the 4G network coupled with an
array of advanced devices would catapult significant market
traction, leading to top and bottom-line growth going
forward.